Cavaliers sporting yellow to support player's father

To show their support for a teammate and his family, the Coldwater football team will go to any lengths.

Even adorning their orange-and-black uniform with a little bit of yellow.

Since midway through the season, the football team has worn bright yellow socks to honor Ty Boeckman, the father of senior lineman Kyle Boeckman and president of the Coldwater Athletic Boosters.

After battling cancer several years ago and being in remission, Ty Boeckman was diagnosed with liver cancer this year and has been going through chemotherapy and other treatments to battle cancer for a second time.

It was before the Minster game that a couple of Kyle Boeckman's close friends on the team, Zach Dickman and Kyle Post, came up with the idea of showing support for Ty Boeckman, who would be missing the game due to treatment.

"We thought we should do something for him," said Post, a senior wide receiver. "We decided to wear yellow socks, yellow being the color of (liver) cancer (awareness). We thought that would be a good idea for us."

Parents bought the socks and dyed them bright yellow for the seniors to wear for awareness. The game was postponed due to lightning, but the players sported the yellow socks the next day when the game was resumed. Since the Cavaliers won, the players continued to wear the socks.

"I had no idea," said Kyle of the move of his teammates "That was pretty cool."

Originally, the seniors sported the socks, but enough socks were dyed for all the team members to wear.

"I thought we'd wear (the socks) one game," said Post. "Big thing on this team is keeping family number one."

Coldwater's head coach Chip Otten isn't surprised that his team would rally around a teammate and his family.

"This group of seniors, and juniors, really get along well," said Otten. "They all know Kyle's dad. He really put in a lot of time to help these guys with all kinds of things. It's a little show (of support) to him that everyone's thinking about him."

The movement carried through the community. Fans were encouraged to wear yellow for the Cavaliers' home game with St. Henry a week later. The Coldwater High School Marching Band, of which Ty's daughter Amber is a member, placed a yellow capital T on their hats. A blood drive was held in Ty's honor and McSober's started a "Ty Tuesdays" when a percentage of their sales goes towards the family.

"They definitely appreciate it," said Dickman, a senior linebacker. "You could just see it when we were out there in our yellow socks. (During the game where fans wore yellow), you could see the emotion from the family and on Kyle's face. It was touching that we could do that for them."

Even while going through treatments and the toll of the disease, Ty Boeckman is still rooting on the Cavaliers. At the remaining home football games, Ty sat in the press box to avoid the cold and weather. Ty attended last Saturday's win over Covington in Dayton.

"My dad loves Coldwater sports in general: from football to golf," said Kyle Boeckman. "It almost helps (in his battle). It makes him want to drive more with the whole community (supporting him). It means a lot for the sports he follows and watches are now dedicating to him. It almost fuels him to keep going."

"It's a good learning lesson," said Otten. "There's things more important out there than football."